Johnson could be next Chippewa dual-threat QB

In five classes at Central Michigan, head coach Dan Enos and his staff have signed six quarterbacks: Kyle Smith, Alex Niznak, Cody Kater, Cooper Rush, Darrien Boone and Zach Oakley. Five of those six signal-callers are dual-threat quarterbacks. Rush is the lone exception.

Ryan Radcliff, who finished his CMU career with -120 rushing yards, and Rush have combined to start 47 of the 49 games under the current staff. That would lead many observers to think that the Chippewas want more of a pocket passer at the helm of their offense. However, when you look at CMU's recruiting over the past five years, it's clear that this staff is very intrigued by mobile quarterbacks.

One name that is near the top of the Chippewas wish list for their quarterback in the 2015 class is another dual-threat quarterback: Jake Johnson, from Dewitt (Mich.), who threw for over 2,000 yards last fall, with 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions, despite missing three games with an injury. He also completed 69 percent of his passes and averaged almost seven yards-per-carry, while leading the Panthers to an undefeated regular season and a run to the MHSAA Division 3 state title game.

Despite that junior season, CMU is still the only school to extend Johnson an offer. Several Mid-American Conference and Big Ten programs are showing considerable interest. According to Johnson, both Toledo and Western Michigan were on the verge of offering before they each picked up a quarterback commit.

"Obviously more offers are better, but I know that schools are taking it slow to make sure they get the right guy," Johnson said. "I understand that if programs get the wrong guy, especially at the quarterback position, that it can negatively affect their program for a couple years."

Johnson has visited CMU, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Toledo, with plans to visit CMU, EMU, Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio) in the near future. He has already made several visits to Mount Pleasant since his recruiting process started.

"I really like Central," Johnson said. "It's close to home and my family can come watch me. I like the style of offense that they're running. The campus is very nice. The facilities are very nice. The coaches are awesome, I'm in contact with them a lot and they're down at my school a lot. I get a really good vibe from the coaches."

The Dewitt native would like to make a commitment sometime in June.

Johnson, like the Chippewas coaching staff, is intrigued by the possibility of playing in the CMU offense. Although he runs a good option of read-option at Dewitt, he doesn't want to be quarterback that runs the ball all the time at the next level.

"I'm looking to be more of a passer in college," Johnson told ChippewaCountry in March. "I don't want to run the ball 20 times, but I do want to run some read-option. I can get out of the pocket and I can run pretty well."

The Chippewas have a plan that should fit with how Johnson sees himself at the next level.

"They said I'll have to run sometimes, both getting out of the pocket and on designed runs," Johnson said. "They're definitely going to have me do some running, but it's not going to be one of the main things they're looking for. They just said if you can run, it's another good thing about your game."

Stick to ChippewaCountry for the latest in CMU athletics and recruiting